


Psycho Pass:  Scales of Justice

by SoelleKhiss



Category: Psycho-Pass
Genre: Anime, F/M, Fanfiction, Psycho-pass - Freeform, Psychopass, Romance, Shinkane - Freeform, mwpsb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-28
Updated: 2017-11-28
Packaged: 2019-02-08 04:57:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12857220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoelleKhiss/pseuds/SoelleKhiss
Summary: Kogami is transferred to the notorious Four Horsemen of Division 5 under the supervision of Inspector Roninn, who holds the record for the most Enforcers killed on the job.  When Justice is blind and Sybil mute, what is a good Enforcer supposed to do?





	Psycho Pass:  Scales of Justice

_“In order of nature angels rank above men, yet, by scale of justice, good men are of greater value than bad angels.” —Saint Augustine_

Shinya Kogami awoke to the chromatic chaos of a fireworks display. It was the main finale with vivid swatches of color and flashes of light, and it was all inside his head. He recognized the aftereffects of being paralyzed by a Dominator. A doctor in the medical bay once described the condition as being akin to surviving a brain aneurism. What he didn’t recognize was where he was as his consciousness slowly returned. After being shot, he usually awoke to find himself some hours later lying in a bed in the MWPSB’s infirmary. Currently, he was supine, on his back, on the black rubber matting of a paddy wagon as the vehicle gently rocked back and forth in motion.

“He lives,” a gruff voice greeted him. It was not Kagari’s voice. Too much baritone. It was not Masaoka. Too worldly. “Welcome back.”

Kogami tried to sit up but felt his arms collapse beneath his weight. Fortunately, other arms proved stronger and held him, stabilizing him while the dense fog in his head continued to dissipate.

“Give him some water, Kumi.” 

A bottle was held to his lips. Water was the last thing he wanted, but Kogami drank slowly, giving himself a chance to assess his surroundings. He was definitely in the back of an MWPSB paddy wagon, but not with the usual cast of colleagues. To the right of him, he saw a woman dressed in a dark green trench coat. Her blond hair hung loosely about her shoulders in waves of spiraled curls that buried the fragile, lace collar. A fox-fur stole was draped over her shoulders. The dead thing’s glass eyes caught what little light there was and flickered in the dimness.

“Easy now,” she whispered. “Give yourself a moment.”

Legs crossed, a man sat quietly beside her with his arms folded across his chest. His blond hair was closely clipped at the sides and in the back, with the top half worn long and spiked, over the crown of his head. His eyes were wide, too wide to be natural, as if he had been drinking too much coffee and was overstimulated. “He’s beaten your record, Barabbas. Never seen anyone come back from being paralyzed so soon.”

“Told you we should have taken bets.” The man they called Barabbas was easily a half foot taller than Kogami and a good 50 pounds heavier, all of it muscle. Sitting over Kogami, his hair trimmed high and tight, he appeared as wide as he was tall. Dressed in a dark red leather duster and leather pants, he leaned forward, elbows on his thighs, and grinned in Kogami’s face. “Do you remember what happened?”

“I came in a Division 1 van,” Kogami whispered, struggling through his most recent memories.

“And you left in a Division 5 paddy wagon. Inspector Masato Roninn wanted to give the infamous Hellhound of Division 1 a trial run in the field with the rest of his pack,” Barabbas said. “Congratulations. He liked what he saw. Now you belong to him. Division 5 is your new home.”

Slowly the vague recollections of that morning returned to him.

_“Kogami, you can’t let Ginoza do this to you!” Akane had said, gripping his sleeve._

_“And what do you expect me to do? It’s not like I have any say in it.”_

“ _I’ll file a formal complaint.”_

“ _On what basis?” he argued, knowing the answer. As she struggled to come up with one, he pushed her hand away. “Exactly. Get over it, Inspector. It’s been a good run, but nothing lasts forever. I’m just another hound, not your equal.” With that cruelty on his tongue, he had turned his back on her and walked away. Ginoza watched him silently as he took his seat in the back of the Divison 1 paddy wagon for transport to a crime scene._

“I guess introductions are in order,” Barabbas said. “Pardon our master’s manners. Names are only important for when he’s sending you into the field. I’m Barabbas, Jairo Barabbas. These are the Koieyama twins. The prettier of the two is Kumi. And the runt is her brother, Yemen.”

“Kogami, Shinya Kogami.”

Still addled by the paralyzer, Kogami struggled to a knee. His head felt like it mind implode. Barabbas had to help him up to a seat. The pain was so intense that white speckles danced before his eyes. “How long have I been out?”

“About an hour,” Kumi replied. “Barabbas usually wakes up in 90 minutes.”

“You’re kidding?” Kogami looked at her disbelief.

She laughed, her mouth painted with a subtle, but lovely shade of coral green. “Inspector Roninn shot you in the foot.”

“The farther the impact from your brain,” Yemen said, “the less potent the effect and the sooner you will recover.”

“Can’t believe he shot me.”

“Don’t take it personally,” Barabbas said. “He paralyzes any Enforcer who talks back to him.”

“Or even raises their voice to him.” Kumi managed a weak smile, her face showing signs that she knew firsthand the Inspector’s strict doctrine of discipline

“That’s right.” Yemen pursed his lips and nodded adamantly. “Barabbas used to get paralyzed twice a week until he came to heel. We all did until we learned our place.”

“Disagree and face the business end of a Dominator?” Kogami could hardly believe his ears. If Ginoza upheld the same severe idea of order, Division 1 would never have closed a case.

“Oh, you can disagree,” Yemen answered. “He sometimes entertains that. Just do it in a respectful tone of voice.”

“And,” Kumi added, “when he disregards your advice, walk away. Preferably without making eye contact.”

“How does he get away with that?” Kogami massaged his throbbing temples.

“Roninn’s solved the most cases of any Inspector in Division 5,” Barabbas said. “Solved some of the most heinous cases, too. No one questions good results.”

“He sees himself as some angel, an Angel of Justice.” Kumi laughed, but it was an anxious response. “We are his Four Horsemen.”

“Four Horsemen?” Kogami looked up in bewilderment.

“Even makes us dress the part.” She pointed to Barabbas. “Red for the Horseman of War.”

Fluttering his eyebrows, Barabbas sat back on the seat cushion to proudly show off his crimson ensemble, which included a vest.

“Death,” Kumi said, indicating her twin.

Yemen was dressed in a fastidious gray business suit with a darker gray for his shirt beneath the coat and a tie. 

“And Pestilence.” Kumi crossed her legs, allowing the trench coat to reveal a light green waistcoat with matching skirt and fishnet stockings.”

_Not exactly regulation,_ Kogami thought.

“That makes me Famine?” 

“No need for a new wardrobe,” Yemen said with a grin. “So long as you’re content wearing black.”

With an annoyed snort of disgust, Kogami nodded his understanding. “Four Enforcers, four Horsemen.”

“The Apocalypse Squad.” Barabbas arced his back and rolled his arms in until the biceps strained against the leather sleeves. “That’s how the other Inspectors refer to us. Jealous cockroaches. We are Roninn’s weapons: the sword of his retaliation, the bow of his perdition, the scythe of his judgment, and the scales of his justice.“

“And so far, Kogami, you have not disappointed,” Yemen said. He uncrossed his arms, gently taking his sister’s hand. “The way you took down that pair of anarchists. Impressive.”

“Savage.” Barabbas’ eyes gleamed with envy.

“Roninn said you were a heavy hitter, but I never imagined any Enforcer could match Barabbas’ brutality.”

“What happened to the last Enforcer in your ranks?” Kogami asked.

There was an awkward silence in the back of the paddy wagon. Only the soft rumble of the engines could be heard, echoing in the confines of the Enforcers’ cabin.

“An unfortunate victim of Roninn’s holy war,” Yemen replied sadly.

“A necessary sacrifice,” Barabbas corrected him.

The paddy wagon decelerated and came to an eventual stop. “Home sweet home,” Yemen said.

Kogami shielded his eyes as the rear door opened onto the harsh light in the Ministry’s underground parking area. The light was not coming from the dull fluorescent bulbs of the overhead garage lamps, but from a dozen security drones strategically positioned outside the van. 

Inspector Masato Roninn stood behind them with a Dominator in his hand. “Ah, my new hound is awake. Hopefully you’ve learned your lesson, Kogami. Insolence has no place in pack politics. You will learn to heel soon enough.”

Before Kogami could make a snide response, Kumi gave him a bump from behind and forced him to take a step down the ramp.

“Watered. Fed. Rested,” Roninn said. “Keep your collars on. We’ll be back in the field before the trail goes cold. I won’t let this madman slip the noose again. Move out.” Without further comment, he stepped into the main building elevator and peevishly waved to them as the doors closed.

“What does he mean by that?” Kogami asked through grit teeth.

“Technically, the MWPSB can run their Enforcers in the field for a full 16-18 hours. If there’s an emergency, 20 hours,” Yemen replied, “but they have to bring us in for 6 hours to recover.”

“Be ready to move in four,” Barabbas said. “Roninn isn’t exactly what I would call the patient type. Doesn’t fit his protocol.” He slapped Kogami hard on the back. “Get some rest, Hellhound. It’s going to be a long night.”

Taking the long way back to his dormitory, Kogami walked by Division 1’s office. As he expected, Akane was sitting at her desk, working diligently on her tablet. The sight of her bothered him more than he imagined it might after only a mere eight hours away. He cursed his luck that she had her back to the door because he could not see her face, not even her profile. There was no way to know how she was coping with the separation.

Masaoka was sitting behind her, paging through some ancient manual that was probably printed from the days when he was a detective, the time before the Sibyl System. He seemed unusually grim, even for the old man, lost in the text inscribed on those dingy, yellowed pages.

Kagari sat across from him and was playing a handheld game with intense vigor. _Some things never change,_ Kogami thought. The sight of them overwhelmed him with a doleful sense of nostalgia, like a homesick kid at boarding school. Before he could slip away, Kagari’s discerning eyes looked up in time to see him. “Ko! You bastard!”

Startled by the sound of his own name, Kogami cringed involuntarily. Heart pounding in his chest, he staggered back a step as Akane turned around to look at him. Her eyes were wide in shock, but within the span of a heartbeat, they went blisteringly cold. Her face expressionless, she pivoted back in her chair to return to her work. There was no movement from her, as before, except the subtle trembling of her shoulders as she cried. 

Kogami couldn’t breathe. A kick to the middle of his chest could not have knocked the air from his lungs more efficiently than that momentary glance. She had given him that same look when he shoved her hand away that morning in the parking hub.

“Ko!” Kagari jumped up from his chair. “What the hell is going—“ 

Kogami glared at Kagari with a ferocity that stopped the younger man in his tracks. Had Kagari been within arm’s reach, he would have punched him in the face. The expression of violence was enough to silence Kagari, who went pale and dropped his game. Hesitating in the doorway no longer, an infuriated Kogami hurried into the corridor, desperate to shake the strangle of guilt building in his throat. “Ko!”

Hearing Masaoka’s voice, Kogami stopped. Not bothering to turn around and face his former colleague, he leaned against the wall and waited until he caught up. “I’m in a hurry, pops.”

“So I see.” 

“How—how is she taking it?”

“Do you really need to ask? Dammit, Kogami, what did you expect?”

“Doesn’t matter what I expect.” He sidestepped Masaoka and headed back down the corridor toward the elevator.

“You look like hell,” Masaoka said, following him.

“Feel like it, too. Now what do you want, pops? I’m really not in the mood for stories.”

“Listen, you’ll want to hear this one.” When Kogami paused in confusion, he kept walking down the hall, waiting for Kogami to join him. “This Inspector Roninn has a reputation as a major trouble.”

“Tell me something I don’t already know.” Kogami massaged the stiffness from his neck. “He doesn’t hesitate to turn the Dominator on his hounds. That’s for certain.”

“Not just that, Ko. You better watch your back. He’s known to the other Inspectors as the Pyrrhic King, though they’d never call him that to his face. This guy’s responsible for more dead Enforcers than any other Inspector in the MWPSB. Combine any division, and they still wouldn’t manage to equal his body count.”

“How is he allowed to continue on the job?”

“Results. He gets the job done, one way or another.”

Kogami remembered what Barabbas had told him in the paddy wagon. “He doesn’t have a partner,” he said. “Never heard of an Inspector being allowed to run four Enforcers solo.”

“Again, results. If you haven’t noticed already, he’s got a rather forceful personality.”

“That’s putting it mildly.”

“None of the other Inspectors wants to work with him. Many aren’t sure that they can. The few that did had their own crime coefficients spike dangerously; so they quit or were transferred. He rules with an iron fist, closes the cases, and no one asks any questions.”

“Not even Kasei?”

“Who pays attention when a few hunting dogs go down? They’ve got facilities full of replacements.”

Kogami stopped at the elevator and cued the doors. “Anything else I should know? The good news just keeps coming.”

“I should think that’s enough. Watch your back, Ko. You’ve never been more alone than you are right now.”

Kogami shook the old man’s hand. “Thanks, pops. Keep your head down and…. Keep an eye on Akane for me, will you?”

“Count on it.” 

With the threat of being called back to the field in four hours looming over him, Kogami found it difficult to sleep. He tossed fitfully on the couch, his long legs dangling over the arm as he struggled to get comfortable. Half-eaten, a boxed dinner of fried rice and shrimp sat discarded on the floor next to him. 

_This existence is miserable,_ he thought, remembering a quote from William Cowper. _“The innocent seldom find an uncomfortable pillow.”_ Somewhere he had lost his innocence, what little remained of it. When was it? _When you lost her, you idiot._

Kogami checked his wristcom. _Three hours down, one to go._

His wristcom sounded an alert, an incoming call from Barabbas. Kogami scowled. There was a rancid conceit about the Enforcer that made him easily detestable. He took the call, taciturn as the image of Roninn’s Horseman of War materialized above his wrist. “Yeah?”

“You up?”

“What’s it look like to you?”

Barabbas laughed and looked away for a moment. “Can’t sleep when Roninn has the pack on a short leash. Want to meet in the gym? I’ve always found a bit of sparring helps take the edge off.”

Kogami thought to refuse him, but there was truth in Barabbas’ words. “Meet you there.”

The Enforcer grabbed his suit coat and retrieved a bag filled with sundry workout clothes. As he stepped through the door into the hallway, he found that he was not alone. In the dim corridor beyond, Barabbas was waiting for him. Through narrowed eyes, Kogami regarded him, careful to mask his disdain. “Got something against doors?”

“Wasn’t sure you would say yes.”

Kogami slung the bag over his shoulder. Never one to mince words, he said, “I’m not looking to take your spot at Roninn’s feet.”

“Not worried about that.” Barabbas fell in step beside him.

“Just looking to fit in and do the job.”

“Then _you_ have nothing to worry about.”

“How long you been with Roninn’s Apocalypse Squad?”

“A little over a year. The twins came on about eight months ago, but with Ronnin’s help, I broke them in right.”

“Were you aware of his reputation?“

Barabbas laughed. It was a sinister sound like that of a predator before a final run on its prey. “The Pyrrhic King? Yeah, I’m aware. Who cares? Whatever it takes to get the job done. If an Enforcer gets killed in the line of duty, they weren’t deserving of the position. Or they wanted to die.”

“You believe that?”

“This life belongs to the strong, Ko. I can call you Ko, right? There’s no merit in cautious living.”

Kogami didn’t respond, an acrid sense of revulsion burning on his tongue.

“Admit it. There’s nothing more exciting than the hunt. Except the kill, maybe.”

As they walked into the gymnasium, Kogami could not shake the feeling that Barabbas was hunting and that, for the moment, _he_ was the prey.

“We may be latent criminals, but without us, where would the Sibyl System be? Our masters can’t get blood on their hands. They need us, their hounds, to do it for them. There are rewards for showing your teeth, Ko. There’s no meat for a hound that can’t or won’t bite. Roninn gets that.”

Kogami shed his work clothes for sweatpants. Shirtless, he reached into his bag and grabbed a pair of sparring gloves. “Does he now?”

“Yeah, he does. Give him a chance. Show him that you’re down for the game, and he’ll make it all worthwhile for you.”

“How’s that?”

Squarely up on the mat, Barabbas smiled menacingly, showing two rows of precisely even teeth. “What fun would it be if I lifted the veil of mystery for you? Just be a good dog, and you’ll see for yourself.” Without warning, he threw a swift punch aimed at Kogami’s head.

Prepared for the Enforcer’s directness, Kogami managed to dodge, but was taken by surprise when Barabbas leaped with unexpected agility and brought his knee across his chin with brutal force. Seeing stars, Kogami staggered back a step and struggled to move his jaw. The burning numbness worried him that it was broken, but after a few seconds, throbbing from the hit, he was able to move it again. He rubbed a thumb against the corner of his mouth and, looking at it, found blood.

“You like to play hard?” 

“Is there any other way?” Barabbas grinned over his fists.

“No.” Kogami took an offensive stance, telegraphing his intent. Pretending to leave his guard open to take advantage of a direct punch, he feinted to the right. When Barabbas took the advantage and threw a counter punch, Kogami countered the blow with his shoulder. He was rewarded by the cracking of bone as Barabbas’ wrist bent at an unnatural angle.

Barabbas’ eyes widened briefly, registering the pain. He leaned back and hopped up into the air for a spinning knee kick, but Kogami was faster and caught his knee, bringing the Enforcer back to earth, and laid him out with a fist to the face and then a follow up elbow to the jaw. Barabbas was thrown backwards and down to the mat. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth and nose.

“Finally. A worthy contender,” Barabbas said. He crawled to all fours and launched himself at Kogami.

Kogami found himself a the victim of a human tsunami. Barabbas was easily 50 pounds heavier than him. There was little he could do as the massive man knocked him to the mat, face down, and trapped him in an armlock. Kogami felt his shoulder going numb from the leverage being applied to his arm. Taking a chance that the Enforcer’s wrist was weakened from the shoulder block, Kogami threw his elbow back against it. 

Struggling to keep control, Barabbas scrambled to throw his weight onto Kogami’s back, but was too slow. Kogami hooked a leg around Barabbas’ neck and locked him firmly in a scissors hold. Momentarily choking his opponent, Kogami used that greater leverage to throw his much larger opponent to the floor.

“Damn!” Barabbas rolled away and regained his feet. He spat a gout of blood onto the mat. “Hellhound? Hell, yeah. You’re good, Kogami. You need to show me that one for future reference.”

Simultaneously, their wristcoms sounded an incoming alert. The music file of a hunting horn warbled across the comm with an image of Roninn as the sender.

“Our master calls.” 

“Three hours and 45 minutes.”

“Must’ve thought you needed the time to rest.” Barabbas wiped the blood from his mouth onto a towel. “Fifteen minutes curtain call. Just enough time to shower and get down to the wagon.”

Rhythmically, Inspector Roninn swayed to the harsh, brassy noise of a huntsman’s horn that played through his wristcom. Smiling with a sardonic pleasure at the severe cacophony of notes, he permitted the music to echo for a long moment down into the confines of the underground service tunnels beneath the Toshiba HVAC Building. “O the yelping of the hounds, the skelping. Along the cover and out at the back! Now they’ve lost him and now they’re finding him, now he’s winding ‘em round by the stack!” 

Flipping his long hair from his forehead to the back his head, Roninn took a deep breath and exhaled. “Oh, I do enjoy an old hunting song. _Hunting the Hare_ is one of my favorites.” He curtly snapped his fingers and pointed to the space at the bottom of the wagon ramp in front of him. “Gather round. Come, come, quickly now. You should be rested and refreshed.”

Kogami shoved his hands deep into his pockets. Digging his fingers nails into his palms, he struggled to contain his rage at the Inspector’s flagrant arrogance. He stopped in the center of the ramp. Kumi and Yemen held hands as they went to stand at the left of Roninn, while Barabbas went right.

Roninn activated his wristcom to bring up a blueprint of the subterranean complex. He transmitted the data to all of them. “Our quarry has gone to ground here,” he said, highlighting a section of the map. “And he has been lying low in this condemned section of the city to avoid detection.”

“Not too difficult a feat in an abolitionist block,” Kumi said.

“No scanners, no functional security measures,” her brother added. “Meaning no drones.”

“Which is why I've arranged for drones to be stationed at every possible entry or exit from this facility. While they cannot come inside, our prey cannot get passed them. He's trapped.”

“Who’s the target?” Kogami asked.

“Okihiro Shinoda, multiple murderer. Killed a family of four in their sleep. The father, the mother, and two children, aged 10 and 4.”

“How’d he manage that?” Yemen asked with a frown.

“He deactivated the safety measures on their home heating system, allowing a dangerous build up of carbon monoxide in the residence. They suffocated in their sleep.”

“Killing kids?” Barabbas asked. “Why’d he do it?”

“Revenge for not getting a promotion.” Roninn bowed his tall frame, putting an arm behind his back. “Kumi?”

“Sir?” She stepped the rest of the way down the ramp to him.

The Inspector took her hand and kissed it, allowing his lips to linger on her fragrant skin.

Kogami saw the shudder of revulsion go through her as she slowly withdrew her arm.

Roninn grinned, showing two even rows of remarkably white teeth. “My delicate beauty, I need that nose of yours to find this hare. Your brother and you will go into the complex through the auxiliary maintenance corridors and flush him out. If you run across him, do not engage. Run him back along the main access tunnel.” 

“Right!” the twins said in unison.

“This has been a week of intense investigation. It ends here before the dawn.” 

Waving in the utility drone, Roninn stepped back as the lid slid open to expose the Dominators inside of it. Each twin retrieved a weapon and then taking opposite sides, they moved down into the corridor with the stealth of hunting cats in synchronous step.

“And us?” Kogami asked. “What are we waiting for?” He went over to the drone to retrieve his Dominator.

“Barabbas and you are my heavyweights, Mr. Kogami. No need wearing you out in the chase, when I need you for the most important part.”

“And that is?”

“Why the kill, of course.” He reached into his coat pocket, produced two switchblades, and then extended his hand to them. 

“What the hell is this?” Kogami glared at Roninn through narrowed eyes.

“The tools of Justice, Enforcer Kogami,” Roninn replied. “The man we hunt is a multiple murderer, a child murderer. Too often, our Mistress Sibyl is not just blind, but mute. It is up to the few with the resolve to take action to do what must be done. Shinoda doesn’t deserve the mercy of rehabilitation. Justice has come for this man, and we shall be certain Justice prevails.”

“Don’t be ignorant, Ko,” Barabbas said. He retrieved one of the knives and put it in his pocket. “Take the blade.”

Quoting the civil rights leader, James Baldwin, Ko said, “Ignorance allied with power is the most ferocious enemy justice can have. I’m not the ignorant one here.” He took a step back away from Roninn, refusing to pick up the knife.

“Hound 1 to Shepherd 1,” Kumi said over the comm. 

“Report, Kumi,” Roninn said. 

“We’ve made contact. Shinoda is on the run in your direction. Sending you the coordinates now.”

Ronin scanned the map on his wristcom, noting the location of his Enforcers and their prey. “Nicely done. You’ve flushed him into a central ventilation corridor. Must be where he’s been hiding all this time.” 

“Only two ways to access the outside world,” Yemen said breathlessly. “He’s headed north. We’ll keep him penned in from the southern end.”

Ronin pulled a Dominator from the drone and turned to his Enforcers. “The trumpet sounds.” He turned his head to Kogami with a sneer. “Go fetch.”

Feeling as thought he had put a target squarely on his back, Kogami cast a fleeting glance back at Roninn before joining Barabbas in the access tunnel. Hugging opposite walls, they walked in awkward silence for nearly a 100 yards. More than once, he caught Barabbas staring at him from the shadows.

“You’ve got the wrong impression, Ko.”

“Oh, what makes you think that?”

“That look on your face says it all. Judging the man before he’s had the chance to show you what he’s about? You’ve got it all wrong.”

“Tell me, Barabbas, what’s Roninn all about, except being a power-hungry despot?”

“Roninn’s just doing what the Sibyl System can’t.”

“That’s not for any Inspector or any Enforcer to decide.” 

The sound of hurried footsteps caught Kogami’s attention. Deftly, he slipped out of sight into a narrow recess in the wall, signaling Barabbas to fade back into the shadows. The footsteps came closer, rapidly falling in sequence until they faltered and slowed. Dominator at the ready, Kogami leaped from his position. “Freeze! MWPSB!”

“Wait, please!“ A slight, unassuming man, Shinoda’s sweaty face was smeared with dirt and grease from his time spent in the tunnels living like a sewer rat. He wore mechanic’s overalls that were equally soiled. “Please, listen to me,” he pleaded in a pathetic voice.

Kogami raised the Dominator, allowing the sky blue light to help him see in the dimness. Where human eyes failed, the weapon picked up the fugitive’s psycho pass and read out the judgement. “Crime Coefficient 112. Enforcement action required. The trigger safety is now released. Aim calmly and subdue the target.”

“Crime coefficient 112?” Kogami whispered. “This guy’s a murderer?”

“I-I didn’t mean to kill them! It was a mistake,” Shinoda stammered. “I only wanted to make Ushida sick. To cause him to have an absence, then the promotion would have been mine.” He fell to his knees, clasping his hands. “Please, I—I’ll go quietly. I’ll—“

Without warning, Barabbas rushed from the other side of the tunnel. Despite the dimness, Kogami caught a flash of light reflected off steel as the Enforcer threw himself at the surrendering figure. The concussion of fists and escaping air reverberated in the corridor as Barabbas drove the switchblade into the right side of Shinoda’s rib cage, switched hands, and then buried the blade twice more into the left.

Caught off guard, Kogami leveled the Dominator at Barabbas. “What the hell are you doing! I had him!”

The dying engineer weakly grasped at the Enforcer’s leg. Gasping for air, he collapsed to the damp floor and expired as Barabbas stood over him with a crazed look in his eyes. The latter tilted his head to the side flippantly and gave Kogami a pained expression of deep sorrow. “I tried to save my fellow Enforcer from a dangerous perp with a knife. Sadly, I was too late. Shinya Kogami died in the access corridor before help could arrive.” 

Knife held in an underhanded grip, Barabbas lunged at Kogami with a savage kick that knocked the Dominator out of his hand. To avoid being stabbed in the neck, Kogami was forced to cross his arms in a defensive block. The maneuver gave Barabbas advantage, allowing him to knock Kogami down to the floor with a powerful leg sweep that momentarily made him airborne.

“It’s amazing what you can learn about a man from sparring him,” Barabbas said. His breathing was labored, not from effort, but a bloodlust that brought a sinister zeal to his eyes. Knocking Kogami’s arms to the side, he brought the switchblade down with all of his great strength, aiming for the center of his chest.

Kogami bucked beneath the heavier man’s weight. The blade missed his chest, but was buried deep in his left shoulder, only a few inches above his heart. Barabbas’ eyes went wide at the miss. “That’s the problem with sparring a colleague versus a friend,” Kogami said. “You have a tendency to hold back; so that you don’t hurt them.” He grit his teeth against the pain, and with another wild buck freed his legs, which he wrapped around his rival’s neck. “Didn’t show you all of my moves, Barabbas.” With a twist, he used his weight as leverage and sent the rogue Enforcer flying backwards into the darkness.

Scrambling for his Dominator, Kogami brought the weapon down on Barabbas before the man could draw his own. “Crime coefficient over 400. Enforcement action required. Target is a registered Enforcer. Status: Enforce at will. Lethal eliminator. Trigger safety is now released. Aim carefully and eliminate the target.“ 

Winded by the throw and the subsequent fall on the concrete, Barabbas slowly rose to his feet. “Wasn’t it Hamilton who said: The first duty of society is justice?”

“Yeah, but it was Aesop who said: The injuries we do and those we suffer are seldom weighed in the same scales.” He pulled the trigger, firing the Dominator. 

The grotesque noise of the implosion was redoubled in the confinement of the tunnel. As minute fragments of flesh and bone slid from the walls and ceiling, Kogami heard laughter and the sound of applause from behind him. Recognizing the sardonic laughter of Inspector Roninn, he bowed his head and dropped his hand to his side.

“And so spoke the Lord Famine before he was felled by the right hand of Justice.”

Kogami shook his head, knowing a Dominator was already pointed at his back. “The last Enforcer to die on your watch? He wasn’t killed in the line of duty, was he? You killed him. Or rather, you had Barabbas do it.”

“Had to make room for my latest acquisition. A hellhound—barely contained on the leash. I thought for certain that I could manage you. So rarely am I wrong.”

“Then I’m happy to disappoint you.”

“Ginoza was right about you, Enforcer Kogami.”

Refusing to turn and face the inevitable, Kogami resisted the urge to cast a cursory glance over his shoulder. “Oh, and what bad press did Ginoza have to give?”

“He said you were a hard man with an even harder head, but that he’d met no finer a man, as Inspector or Enforcer.”

The sentiment struck Kogami and brought more emotion than he anticipated. “Ginoza said that?”

“Imagine his disappointment when he hears the news that you killed a perp, superseding the Sibyl System, then killed a fellow Enforcer, and then attempted the murder of an MWPSB Inspector? Even good dogs bite, right?”

Exploding into action, Kogami dropped to a knee, withdrew the switchblade protruding from his shoulder, and threw it. Still coated with his blood, the weapon spun in the air and connected with its target, disarming the man pointing a Dominator at his back. Embedded in Ronin’s hand, the edge cut through flesh and minor bones, slicing tendons as easily as ligaments. Unable to sustain his grip, the Dominator fell from Roninn’s hand. 

Blood dripping from the deep puncture and between his fingers, Roninn threw his head back and laughed. His voice, expressing no pain, reverberated against the tunnel ceiling. “You’ve accomplished nothing, Hellhound, except to prove to all that you are a bad, a very bad, dog. You’ve sealed your fate. No isolation cell for you.”

“Think so?”

“Who will believe you? A latent criminal over a decorated Inspector.”

“We’ll see about that.” Kogami held up the Dominator and pointed it at Roninn.

“Crime Coefficient over 140. Enforcement action required. Target is a registered Inspector. Status: Enforce at will. The trigger safety is now released. Aim calmly and subdue the target.”

Kogami could hardly believe his ears. “There’s no such thing as a bad dog, Roninn, just bad owners.” He pulled the trigger.

Roninn extended his bloodied hands defensively as if attempting to catch the projectile. The bullet struck him squarely in the chest. With a gasp of surprise and alarm, he fell backwards and collapsed to the floor.

Lightheaded, Kogami staggered a step back and leaned against the nearest wall. “This is Hound 4. Enforcement complete. Enforcer Barabbas is dead. Inspector Roninn is down. Send back up to our location immediately.” 

Back at MWPSB headquarters, a belligerent Kogami emerged from the paddy wagon in the parking hub. He did not wait for the ramp to fully lower or extend before he made his way out of the rear compartment. Refusing to answer questions or follow the directives of any Inspector, he barreled into the building, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. Barely tolerating the presence of Masaoka or Kagari, who met him in the corridor, he refused even their requests to go to the medical bay. If he was going to be cornered and brought to heel, Kogami wanted it done on his terms. So, he retreated to his dormitory, leaving Masaoka and Kagari to keep vigil at his door.

Slipping the knot from his tie, Kogami yanked it free and threw it on the floor. Angrily, he ran a hand through his hair and over his forehead, desperate to quiet the whirlwind of rage within him. The Enforcer could only imagine the color of his hue at that moment and wondered about the state of his crime coefficient. He wanted nothing more than to storm down to the medical bay and kill Roninn with his bare hands!

Kogami sat back and sighed wearily. Peace might have come through controlled breathing exercises, but breathing too deeply hurt. Barabbas could throw a solid punch, just in sparring. Unchecked, his blows were devastating. Swellings rose from where Kogami had been fortunate enough to block him. Bruised muscles clenched in knots of protest in other areas of his body where subsequent blows had connected. And he was still bleeding. 

He grit his teeth in preparation of aggravating the knife injury. Taking a towel from the back of his couch, he pressed it against the wound to staunch the bleeding. While on the surface, the knife wound appeared small, it was some inches deep. There was no help for it right then, not without going to the medical bay. All he could hope to do was to be still and control the bleeding.

The door sensor chimed, indicating that someone had requested entrance. Lacking the energy to entertain company, he ignored it. Moments later, overridden by an access code, the door slid open.

“Mr. Kogami?” Akane whispered. “You are here. When you didn’t answer, I feared—I was worried. Shion said you were in pretty bad shape.” She took one faltering step forward than stopped. “I see she was right.”

“What are you doing here, Inspector?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” She held up a red duffel with the words _Medical Supply_ written across it. “Shion said you refused to go to the infirmary. You wouldn’t even let her have a look at you. Why?”

“I’m tired.”

Akane timidly crossed the space between them and knelt down on the floor in front of him. She pushed aside his shirt and looked beneath the towel, wincing at the wound underneath it. “You really should get down to the medical bay. My first aid has improved, thanks to you, but I’m not _that_ good.”

“I’m not going anywhere near medical. Not while Roninn’s down there,” he growled, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t know what I might do if I see him.”

Opening the medical kit, she withdrew some gauze and antiseptic gel. Gently, the Inspector dabbed at his nose, cleaning dried blood from the bridge, the tip, and from beneath his nostrils. She set the bloody gauze put aside for a clean pad and cleaned the cut in the corner of his mouth. The wound was painful, and he recoiled abruptly from the sting.

“I’m sorry.” Her hand trembled as she drew back from him.

The pained expression in her eyes broke him. For some reason, despite his behavior toward her, she had forgiven him. That’s why she was here with him. Exhaustion taking its toll, Kogami leaned forward and took her hand, gently kissing the knuckle. “No, I’m so sorry, Akane.” He laid his head on her shoulder. Overwhelmed by fatigue, emotion and weak from blood loss, he was on the verge of confessing his soul to her. But he did not have the energy to speak or even move. All he wanted was to be there, in that moment, in her arms, if she would have him.

She leaned her face against his and held him close to her. “Kogami,” she whispered, crying softly, “what have you done?”

With no indication of an intrusion, the door to his dorm opened again, admitting Ginoza. Gray-faced and grim, his former friend and partner stepped into the room. “Time and time again, I have tried to warn you. But you just couldn’t resist pushing the envelope, could you?” He held a Dominator in his right hand. The sky blue lights from the weapon projected an eerie eclipse of light across the fabric of his pants.

“Ginoza?” Akane whispered. “Please.”

“Enough, Inspector Tsunemori! No more excuses! There’s no saving him this time. You read the report as well as I did. Kogami’s crossed the line: stabbed a perpetrator without awaiting Sibyl’s judgment, killed an Enforcer while in the field, and shot an Inspector. There’s nothing left to do except put him down.” He came within six feet of Kogami and raised the Dominator to fire.

“Stand down, Ginoza!”

“Inspector Ikuko,” Ginoza said warily. “By whose authority—”

“Chief Kasei’s authority, that’s who. Do you mind dropping that Dominator? Right now, the Enforcer you’re threatening belongs to me.”

“What?”

“A dead perp, a dead Enforcer and a downed Inspector might add up to a great story of a rogue Enforcer in your book, but’s it’s far from the truth. Enforcer Kogami has been on special assignment ever since he transferred out of Division 1 some 20 hours ago.” She tapped a button on her wristcom to transmit the official documents to him. “While it appeared that Enforcer Kogami was working in Division 5 with _former_ Inspector Roninn, he was actually under my supervision.” 

“Special assignment?”

Dressed in an elegant black pantsuit, Ikuko managed to put herself between Ginoza and Kogami, forcing the former to lower his arm and the Dominator. “That’s right. Division 3 has long suspected that Roninn had gone rogue. We just couldn’t prove it until Kogami cracked the case wide open.”

“But Kogami fired on an Inspector. Killed another Enforcer.”

“All under the auspices of the Sibyl System, Ginoza. Honestly, with the way you treat your Enforcers, I’m surprised one hasn’t turned on you. All that attitude. How do you keep your own crime coefficient within the regs?”

“What exactly did Inspector Roninn do?”Akane asked.

“Where to start?” she shrugged, throwing up her hands. “Over time, Enforcers working the job may find their crime coefficients increasing. It’s a serious hazard, but actually encouraging those crime coefficients to rise is a serious crime. Roninn wrote the book on it. And that’s just the start of a long list of offenses.” She crossed her arms over her chest and grinned at Ginoza. “Roninn had no intention of bringing in perps for due process, let alone therapy. He used the MWPSB as his private hunting ground and kept the Enforcers at his disposal to kill on command, regardless of a perp’s psycho pass.”

“How horrible.” Akane stared into Kogami’s eyes. “You agreed to this?”

“It was the only way to stop him.” 

“Roninn has had a hard-on for Kogami for years now. When Ginoza flippantly mentioned transferring him, Roninn was all over it. Even had Barabbas take out one of their own to make room for the infamous Hellhound of Division 1.” She walked over to Kogami and extended her hand. “I never figured Roninn would show his dirty side so soon, Ko.”

“Desperate times, desperate measures,” he replied, taking her hand firmly in his and shaking it.

“Well, congratulations for a job well done.” Ikuko smiled down at Akane and winked. “As a reward, you get to go home. Where you belong.” 

“What happens to the remaining Enforcers under Roninn?” Kogami asked.

“Well, Barabbas is no longer an issue thanks to you. You shouldn’t feel badly about that one. His last psycho pass registered his crime coefficient as 450. Even if he had survived this case, Sibyl would have judged him fit for execution. He was Roninn’s lapdog in conspiracy to commit murder.”

“Roninn seemed to keep the the twins at a distance,” Kogami said. “I’m not sure he didn’t force himself on Kumi by the way he acted with her. Were they in on it?”

“No, they weren’t. But their crime coefficients are well over 350, aggressive even for Enforcers.”

“But it’s not their fault,” Kogami protested. “Roninn promoted their brutality, mostly through Barabbas.”

“True, which is why, because of your recommendations, they will be going to a facility to detox for a few months. If their crime coefficients can be reduced, they will return to the job.”

“Under whom? They only know Roninn and his heavy hand.”

“Not to worry, Ko. If they come back, they’ll fall under my supervision. I’ve made the proper requests.”

“And if their crime coefficients don’t recover?” Akane asked.

“You already know the answer to that,” Ginoza sneered. “Don’t be so naive.” Eyes narrowed in spite, he turned to Ikuko to demand further answers. “How was Roninn able to do it? He was the mastermind of this debacle. How was he able to keep his psycho pass from being flagged?”

“His crime coefficient was no worse than yours,” Ikuko fired back. “While Roninn was the mastermind, he never got his hands dirty. He had his Enforcers for that, Barabbas in particular. It wasn’t until Kogami refused to go along with his plans that things changed and prompted his own crime coefficient to go above the regulation value. Then Ko shot him, dead to rights!” She slapped her hands together abruptly and winked at Kogami with a smile.

“So this was planned the whole time,” Akane whispered. 

Kogami bowed his head in guilt. “I’m sorry.”

“Well, I have a ton of paper work to do. Helluva a hunting hound you have there, Tsunemori. If you ever grow tired of him, give me a call.” Ikuko closed the medical bag and threw it over her shoulder. “I’ll return this to Shion. Roninn’s been transported to more secure facility. The medical bay is clear. Get your boy checked out. By the looks of him, he needs it.” She headed back to the doorway. “I’ll be seeing you.”

Momentarily an alert sounded in the building, bringing up simultaneous messages on their wristcoms. “Elevated area stress-level warning. A psycho pass above the regulation value has been detected in the Inner Harbor district. All on-duty Inspectors and available Enforcers are immediately required for intervention at the scene.”

“Never a dull moment,” Kogami whispered under his breath.

“I'll handle this with Kunizaka and Masaoka,” Ginoza said, deactivating the alert. “You're in no condition to be in the field. You’re not even fit for desk duty.” He turned and handed his Dominator to Akane. “Inspector Tsunemori, escort Enforcer Kogami to the infirmary. If he refuses to go, shoot him with the Dominator.”

“I don't think that will be necessary,” Akane said with a smile. She holstered the Dominator and helped Kogami to his feet, supporting his weight with her shoulder and wrapping at arm about his waist. 

“Kagari, give Inspector Tsunemori a hand.”

“My pleasure!” Kagari tucked himself under Kogami’s other arm. “Welcome back, Ko,” he whispered for Kogami alone to hear. “You had us all worried.”

“Yeah, sorry about that, and thanks.” Kogami took a faltering step forward, appreciating their support. Inclining his head toward Akane, he whispered, “It’s good to be back…where I belong.”


End file.
